DiverMike 5 #51 November 17, 2009 Quote The fact is that I have a nice, quiet, affordable flat in a great location.. If you follow some of the completely legal advice given thus far, you will lose, but I think you understand that. It sucks that decent people have to put up with jerks, but life insn't fair. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Misternatural 0 #52 November 17, 2009 I'm a landlord, and I go way out of my way to respect my tenants. They are customers purchasing a product from me, and I treat them with respect. Thats good, and you should- I would expect nothing less from you JM! My dad and I did the landlord thing for years, we hardly bothered our tenants except this one time we had a deadbeat who would not pay rent for 6 months we could not get him out of there! We took a risk and barged into his apartment one day to "fix a pipe" he was sitting on the couch and jumped up in my face "You come into MY house?" I said "No mutherf*^%er this is MY house" what I did not realize is that in Greece where this guy was from the word Mother#%^er is taken literally as a fatal insult..."Wait...You call me Motherf%^&ker???" he said over and over.......I could see this was steaming his lettuce and I wanted him to hit me so we could have an excuse to have his ass arrested. So I was like "yeah thats right!" But he was smart, and neither of us threw down. We got his butt out by just slowly renovating the place while he was in it. But each time we knocked and were polite after that....he had no case Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #53 November 17, 2009 I haven't had the deadbeat yet, but that's one of my biggest worries. The eviction process is so slow and expensive in this state. The liberal streak in Washington State has resulted in the laws siding with the tenant a little too much, IMO. So far, good screening has gotten me good renters. >>>>> Hey Nataly, good luck to you with that guy. I think if you check the laws in your area, inform him of what the law reads and that you intend to hold him to it, things will change. I would also get an inside bolt for the door for when you're home, and set up a "nanny cam" for when you're gone. Oh, and set up a web cam for when you're around, too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #54 November 17, 2009 Quote Oh, and set up a web cam for when you're around, too. Purely for security purposes of course. We're just worried about you Nataly! Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Misternatural 0 #55 November 17, 2009 >I think I'm a pretty awesome tenant.. I *always* pay on time (a couple of days early, in fact). I never have guests. I spend all my time either at work or studying or online, but NONE of this makes ANY noise, WHATSOEVER. I don't complain about anything. I'm clean and tidy (the place is MUCH cleaner than when I moved in). I haven't modified or tampered with or damaged the property in any way. Almost all of the furniture in here is mine. I don't use the heating. I don't use tons of water or electricity. Seriously, I can't think that they have any complaints about me at all. -the more information you give the more clear this becomes A) You have a nice place and location that you wish to keep B) you realize the trauma a legal dispute would cause C) possible legal misinterpretation on his part D) landlord is not a creepy perp E) landlord lives upstairs with this info I think you are on the right track with the negotiation If you sell yourself as what you described above he would be CRAZY not to accept your terms given the terrible tenants he could have there instead. You can then gently say that your privacy is important and you will have no choice but to move out. Believe me there is nothing worse than a noisy disrespectful deadbeat tenant with pets that piss and chew on everything. HE KNOWS THIS and that is your bargaining chip for this and any other problem you might have. ANY landlord here would be nuts not to have you live in the apt! If he keeps up with the bullshit after your negotiation then he has some mental issues or a personal problem with you. in which case you gotta move out.Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Krip 2 #56 November 17, 2009 Before we bought this house we rented a house for 14 years. Only met the landlord once in 14 yrs to sign the initial one year lease. Told the dude we didn't like to move, were great renters paid our rent on time and made our own repairs But if he raised our rent every year we were gone. Landlord never raised our rent in 14 yr's Then he raised our rent 40% and showed up two weeks in a row. Didn't want to negotiate on the rent increase or do any upgrades to the house[mad We immediatly started to look for our own house. When the landlord called a couple of weeks later about some things he wanted us to do for him. Told the dude To bad so sad we'll be gone in 2-3 month's. Then he tried to backpedal on his demands, sorry to late for thatNataly do whats right for you. Landlord, renter misunderstandings are universal and timeless. You just have to find another good landlord with the knowledge that good may not be forever One Jump Wonder Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yoink 321 #57 November 17, 2009 Quote Yes, you are a customer and yes, you are buying a service/product,,but ...you are still renting SOMEONE ELSE's property, you are NOT paying taxes or insurance I was referring to UK rentals, where the renter commonly pays the local tax on the property, as well as providing their own contents & damage insurance. Typically, the landlords insurace only covers the building itself, as well as any provided fixtures & fittings. If it's in a contract that there will be monthly maintainance on a property, changing the locks without discussing it obviously isn't an option (although I'd still do it, and give the landlord new keys - if only to ensure the last tenants didn't take a copy when they left), but this is not typical in UK leases. Generally they're very hands-off landlords over there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
base689 0 #58 November 17, 2009 > ...I'm locking myself in from now on and sending him an email reminding him that he is not legally allowed to come into my flat without reasonable advanced notice/permission unless it's an EMERGENCY... —————————————————————————————— I do not know what the laws about flat rental are in UK, but I do guess that in any civilized country no landlord is allowed to enter into a rented flat (of his property) without proper notice and without consent by renter, with or without renter in the house, for a number of good common sense reasons: you could have money on the table, you can have confidential documents on the table (think of a lawyer or a researcher or whatever else), you can have valuable property around, you can walk around your flat naked, you can have a very good time with a fantastic bloke of your choice , you Now, not knowing exactly how your flat is made of (to me it looks VERY, VERY strange that landlord have got a cellar whose only access is through your flat...), but I am wondering why you are NOT locked into your own flat BY DEFAULT: in my country the standard is (myself included) to be locked into own homes, typically closing with key and leaving the key into the cylinder lock (even if I heard this is a pratice because a burglar can use the inserted key at his own advantage, but here we are talking about landlords, NOT about burglars...), so, doing so (locking yourself with key left inserted) it is SIMPLY impossible that any landlord can show up () at any time at his will. Let alone with the fact that in my country is quite typical that EVERY house has got a sliding bar/bolt in the inner side of door: once the bolt is inserted, there is no fucking way the landlord can barge in at his will But I do understand that if a bolt is NOT on your door now, putting it yourself would constitute a modification which you should ask the permit to landlord... By the way: he's an asshole Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nataly 38 #59 November 17, 2009 Quotewith this info I think you are on the right track with the negotiation If you sell yourself as what you described above he would be CRAZY not to accept your terms given the terrible tenants he could have there instead. If he keeps up with the bullshit after your negotiation then he has some mental issues or a personal problem with you. in which case you gotta move out. I completely agree with you. For those who don't understand the layout, I'm in a basement flat, so the only access to the cellar is through my flat. The flat comprises essentially of one big room, with a separate loo and a separate kitchen. There are two ways the landlord can access this flat - the first is through a door that connects our flats - he would enter into my kitchen (I don't have the key to this connecting door). Happily, there is a second door separating the kitchen from the rest of the flat, which I usually leave locked with the key inside it. The second point of access is through the front entrance (we both have our own separate front entrance, so neither one of us have to go through any common areas). I always lock myself in (with the deadbolt), but given the ONLY other person who can enter via the front door is the landlord, I assumed basic common courtesy when the lights are on would dictate that if he ever wanted to come in he would knock/ring the doorbell!!! But from now on, I am locking myself in with the key in the front door as well. And from now on if ever I'm reasonably certain that he has been in my flat without checking with me first, I won't be confronting him, I will be moving. He has my phone number and knows how to knock - there is absolutely NO REASON WHATSOEVER that he should enter without giving me notice/getting my permission (unless of course the flat is on fire!!!)."There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyjumpenfool 2 #60 November 17, 2009 We're talking serious creep! Print this (poster size) and hang it on the wall just inside your flat.............. .... and, be carefull!Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nataly 38 #61 November 17, 2009 Quote Print this (poster size) and hang it on the wall just inside your flat.............. Ah ha ha!! I think I might just do that!!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
